Traditionally made with cognac, I decided to try using white grape juice as a substitute ingredient in this baked fruit dessert. The result was nothing short of delectable. Even for those who avoid fruit as dessert, trust me. It’s worth a taste.

*Cooks tip: You’ll probably have plenty of leftover mascarpone cheese mixture from this recipe. Don’t let it go to waste– it is absolutely wonderful when dates, fresh figs or just about any other fruits are dipped into it…heavenly.

Mascarpone cheese is an Italian cream cheese that is usually sweetened with sugar for desserts.

Recipe adapted from the book Mediterranean: A Taste of the Sun in Over 150 Recipes by Jacqueline Clark and Joanna Farrow.

Ingredients for the Peaches

• 3  large peaches, halved and stoned
• 4 Tb. ground almonds
• 2 Tb. sugar (organic, if possible/brown sugar is ok, too)
• 1 Tb. cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup white grape juice (100% juice)
• 2 Tb. butter

Ingredients for the Mascarpone Cream

• 2 Tb. sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 Tb. white grape juice (100% juice)
• 1 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2/3 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF/200º C.
2. Meanwhile, cut and stone the peaches. Using a melon baller or teaspoon, scoop out enough of the flesh of the peach to make a reasonable amount of space for filling. Discard any tough skin left from the stone.
3. Mix together the ground almonds, sugar, cocoa and peach flesh. Next, add just enough grape juice to make the mixture into a thick paste. (You could reserve this mixture for later if you are not planning to bake the peaches just yet).
4. Butter a semi-deep ovenproof baking dish. Fill each peach with stuffing. Dot with a little pat of butter and pour the remaining grape juice (amount left from the stuffing ingredients) into the baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes.
5. While the peaches are baking, make the mascarpone cheese mixture. (If you would like to make this ahead of time, it keeps well in the refrigerator for about 3 days). Beat the sugar and egg yolks until thick and pale. Stir in the grape juice, then gently fold in the mascarpone. Whip the double cream to stiff peaks by using a wire whisk, then fold into the mixture.
6. Remove the peaches from the oven and allow to cool. Serve at room temperature and dollup with the mascarpone cream, also at room temperature.

Bismillah and Buon Appetitto!